It is common knowledge in the field of oral hygiene that minute food particles, bacteria, and cellular debris tend to collect on the surface of the tongue. If the tongue is not kept clean of the food particles, bacteria, and debris, a bad odor in the breath may be created and infections on the tongue may develop. To combat these problems it is desirable to both clean the tongue and to introduce medication or mouthrinse directly on the tongue. Currently, mechanical tongue scrapers are available which use a blade to scrape the tongue's surface and numerous spray devices can be found to spray medication or mouthrinse on the tongue. However, none of the known devices or methods are truly effective at cleaning the tongue or applying medication or mouthrinse to the tongue because they fail to recognize or deal with problems caused by the unique structure of the tongue.
Much of the surface of the tongue is covered with taste buds which protrude from the tongue. Bacteria, minute food particles, and cellular debris tend to accumulate on the surface of the tongue under the taste buds. Conventional methods of cleaning the tongue or applying medication or mouthrinse to the tongue are not effective in dealing with the area of the tongue surface under the taste buds. A mechanical tongue scraper merely scrapes the surface of the taste buds and does not reach the material under the taste buds. When medication or mouthrinse is sprayed on or swirled over the tongue, the taste buds shield the surface of the tongue under them preventing much of the medication or mouthrinse from reaching the surface. Clearly, there is a need in the oral hygiene field for a device which effectively cleans the tongue surface under the taste buds and can effectively apply medication or mouthrinse directly to the tongue surface under the taste buds.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an oral hygiene device for effectively cleaning the surface of the tongue, including that part of the tongue surface which underlies the taste buds.
It is another object of the invention to provide an oral hygiene device for applying medication or mouthrinse directly onto the surface of the tongue, including that part of the tongue surface, called the floor of the tongue, which underlies the taste buds.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tongue cleaning/irrigating device which will gently part the tops of the taste buds while simultaneously applying a liquid, such as water, mouthrinse, or medication, onto the tongue surface under the taste buds.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tongue cleaning/irrigating device which can be used to gently part the tops of the taste buds in order to flush food particles, bacteria, and cellular debris from the floor of the tongue.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tongue cleaning/irrigating device which can be used to gently part the tops of the taste buds in order to introduce oxidizing, deodorizing mouthrinse between the parted taste buds onto the tongue surface to neutralize acidic by-products of bacterial colonies.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tongue cleaning/irrigating device which can be used to gently part the tops of the taste buds in order to introduce medicated tissue conditioners to treat infections and irritations on and under the surface of the tongue.
The objects of the invention are achieved by the tongue cleaning/irrigating device of the present invention which gently parts the tops of the taste buds while simultaneously introducing a liquid between the taste buds onto the floor of the tongue. Preferably, a plurality of rigid mechanical fingers part the taste buds while liquid is applied to the floor of the tongue through openings in the ends of the fingers. Preferably, the liquid is introduced under pressure. The device of the present invention may include a provision for attachment to a pulsating water irrigator or may include a refillable squeezable bulb or the like. The device of the invention may further include a blade portion which can be used as a conventional tongue scraper.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.